Drawer guide



June s, 1943. A. J. RUCKMAN 2,321,520

' DRAWER GUIDE 1 Filed Feb. l2, 1941 a4 f2s: 4

E55 /f l' I' Patented June 8, 1943 DRAWER GUIDE Albert J. Ruckman, Mayville, N. Y., assignor to Chautauqua Cabinet Company, Mayville, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 12, 1941, Serial No. 378,603

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in guides for the drawers of articles of furniture such as chests, dressers, desks and the like.

The invention is particularly directed to a drawer guide structure for articles of furniture constructed from wood. Wooden furniture of the type more generally intended for use in the household, is manufactured according to standards somewhat diiferent from those applicable to metal furniture. For instance, in metal furniture, drawer guides are required to be accurately and carefully designed so as to function properly under extreme use and considerable drawer load, and any noise involved in their operation, unless excessive, is of no particular importance. However, in wooden furniture of the type mentioned, drawer guides are generally required to sustain only moderate drawer loads and to be substantially noiseless in operation. Inasmuch as metal guides not only produce an objectionable noise in operation, but their cost of manufacture is disproportionate to an article of wooden furniture to which they might be applied, it is the common practice to utilize wooden drawer guides.

Wooden drawer guides are generally loosely fitted in order that the operative parts will not bind or become wholly inoperative due to changes in atmospheric conditions. Normally, when drawer guides of this nature are installed, the

drawer is so loosely fitted that when withdrawn from its casing it willtend to stick, if pressure is applied at one corner or the other, and it may be stated that only when the parts havevsomewhat swelled or warped from their original shape do these guides function in a satisfactory manner, since only under these circumstances is the original looseness or play taken up.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a drawer guide having relatively movable parts that are closely iitted to eliminate substantially all side play of a drawer during movement from one position to another and this, therefore, constitutes one of the objects of the invention. Y

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a drawer guide, the operative parts of which, although formed from material subject to distortion under changes in atmospheric conditions, will not impede or prevent movement of a drawer from one position to another.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a drawer guide, the parts of which are initially so fitted as to prevent side play of a drawer, and that will, even when distorted due to atmospheric changes, function in the manner intended.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a single, centrally disposed guide for a drawer that, by reason of the intertting parts, prevents lateral twisting or displacement of the drawer during its movement from one position to another.

Other and further objects of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated from a consideration of the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing; and in which Figure l is a vertical transverse sectional view of a part of an article of furniture, one or more drawers mounted on guides embodying one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of a drawer, a part of the drawer head being broken away to disclose, in end view, the parts of the drawer guide embodying the invention;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the drawer guide;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective viewrof the parts of the drawer guide prior to assembly.

Reference is now had to the drawing wherein the numeral I0 is employed to generally designate an article of furniture having one or more drawers mounted on guides embodying one form of the invention. The article includes conventional rear and side panels II and I2, top I3, and frame members I4. A drawer I6 is generally positioned between pairs of horizontally disposed frame members I4, the vertical spacing of which may be sufficient to receive the drawer front I'I. The drawer includes the usual side and rear panels land I9, together with a bottom panel 2 I. The bottom panel is generally somewhat above the lower edge of the front I1, as indicated in the drawing.

A drawer guide, generally indicated by the numeral 22, comprises a pair of relatively movable elements 23 and 24. The element 23 is prefer'- ably attached to the under face of the bottom panel 2l and may be of suflicient length to extend from the front I'I to beneath the rear panel I9. The under face of the element 23 is formed with a longitudinally extending recess 26. This recess is formed by relatively shallow, vertical walls 2'I that continue in inclined walls 28, which terminate in the recess base wall 29. The wall 29 is fiat with the exception of a centrally disposed, longitudinally extending rib 3|. This rib projects downwardly into the recess and is formed with a curved surface, indicated at 32.

The other element 24 of the guide 22 is somewhat 1onger than element 23 and is notched at its ends, as indicated at 33. These notches are proportioned to interi-1t front and rear frame members I4, substantially as indicated in the drawing. That portion of the element 24 intended to intert element 23 is formed with vertical side walls 34 that are comparable to the walls 21 of the other element. Above the walls 34, the element 24 is formed with a pair of 10ngitudinally extending ribs 36 that, by reason of their spacing, produce a longitudinally extending recess 31. The ribs are formed with inwardly inclined walls 38 and top Walls 39. At the meeting points of walls 34, 38, and 39 they are preferably rounded, as distinguished from the sharp meeting edges of walls 21, 28, and 29 of the element 23. It will also be noted that the walls of the recess 31 are straight surfaced as dis tinguished from the rounded surface 32 on the rib 3l of the element 23. The element 24 is permanently attached to the frame members I4 and the element 23 to a drawer and movable thereover.

Attention is now particularly directed'to the purposes and advantages of constructing the 'interengaging parts of the guidein the'manner dcscribed. Referring 'particularly to Figure 4, it

will be noted that inclined walls 38 of element 24 contact the inclined walls 28 of the recess of the element 23 and it will be understood that the parts, as manufactured, are intended to contact in Vthis manner. However, as has been brought out, the elements of the guide are vformed from material that is subject t'o physical changes by reason of changes in atmospheric conditions. Thus, should a change in atmospheric conditions cause the elements to shrink, the element 24 would seatmore fully inthe -recess 26 of the element 23, the upper rounded surfaces of the ribs 33, in part at least, contactingthe base wall 29. On the other hand, should the change in Yatmospheric conditions cause the elements 'to swell, the element 23 wouldsimply ride slightly higher on the inclined'walls 38 ofelement 24. It will, therefore, be understood that regardless of changes in atmospheric conditions, the elements of the guide member are at alltinies sufficiently accurately intertted to preventappreciable side play in the drawerduring movement from one position toanOther, and yet, the contacting ele- `ments of the guidelmember are suiiiciently free so as to render them-atall times relatively`movable. Should either or both the elements of the guide member vbecome `slightly warped or "distorted due to any change in atmospheric conditions, these elements will still function as intended, since such warpage or distortion will merely slightly shift the 'surface of contact without causing binding.

Although applicant rhas shown and described only one 'modiiication ofhis invention, it will'be understood that variations in the contour` and size of the ribs and channels of the intertting elements of the guide member may be made and are within the contemplation of the invention as set forth in the hereunto annexed claims.

Having thus set forth my invention what I claim as new and for which I desire protection by Letters Patent is:

l. A guide for operably mounting a drawer in an article of furniture comprising one element attached to said drawer and a second element attached to said article, walls defining a longitudinally extending recess in said one element, a rib projecting away from the base wall of said recess and dividing said recess in part into lesser recesses, a longitudinally extending pair of ribs on the second element, the ribs of the elements intertting and maintaining the elements in operative alignment.

2. A guide for operably mounting a drawer in an article of furniture comprising a pair of elements, one of said elements being secured to said drawer and the other of said elements to said article, walls defining a lengthwise recess in one of said elements, certain of said recess walls being of converging incline, a rib projecting away from the base wall of said recess, a pair of lengthwise ribs on the other of said elements, the remote walls of said ribs boeing of a converging incline and adapted to Vcontact the corresponding walls of said recess when said elements are assembled, the vribs of said elements intertting to maintain said elementsin operative alignment.

3. A guide for operably mounting a drawer in an article of Afurniture comprising a pair of elements, one of said elements being secured to said drawer and the other of said elements to said article, walls dening a lengthwise recess in one of said elements, certain of said recess walls being of converging incline, a rib projecting away from the base wall of said recess, a pair of lengthwise ribs on the V,other of said elements, said ribs being spaced to provide an area into which the rib of the rst mentioned element projects, the remote walls of said pair of ribs being of the same converging incline as the certain walls of said recess and engageable therewith when said elements are assembled.

4. A guide for operably mounting a drawer in an article of furniture comprising a pair of elements, yone of said elements being secured to said drawer and the other of said elements to said article, walls defining a lengthwise recess in one of said elements, the side walls 'of said recess being first parallel and then converging into a base wall, a lengthwise rib midway of and projecting away from'said base wall, a pair of lengthwise ribs on the other of said elements, said ribs 'being spaced to provide an area into which the `rib of the first mentioned element projects, the Vremote'walls of said pair of ribs having theV same lcontour aszthe side wallsof said :recess and being .engageable therewith to provide operative contact for said elements.

ALBERT J. RUCKMAN. 

